Beer News

Shipyard Brewing-owned Sea Dog Brewing Company is opening its third brewpub in the state of Maine in the month of May. The brewpub, which will join the Topsham & Bangor locations, is set to open at 125 Western Ave. in South Portland; the location previously occupied by Eggspectation. The new South Portland location will be open for breakfast (served all …

Chow.com today posted a very informative piece on the rise to fame of beers commonly described as “farmhouse funk”. These beers, which have been contaminated by Brettanomyces, or Brett for short — a wild yeast often found in the air that’s nearly impossible to get rid of once it invades your equipment — are gaining nationwide (or worldwide, really) notoriety …

Portsmouth New Hampshire-based Smuttynose Brewing has officially retired their Portsmouth Lager after rumors of the beer’s demise had been swirling for nearly a year. The beer has been replaced in the Smuttynose everyday line up with a new brew entitled, “Star Island Single”. According to David Yarrington, the Smuttynose Executive Brewer, Several trains of thought converged in the decision process …

Portland’s own Peak Organic Brewing has released their own IPA and I have to say, it’s the single best Peak beer yet! After trying a pint myself at $3 Dewey’s a few days ago, I had the chance to ask Peak muckety-muck Geoff Masland about the new brew. Geoff says, It’s been a beer we’ve had on our mind for …

It seems that the Craft Beer Community is increasing their participation in all things New Media at an incredible clip, with their presence on Twitter really taking the helm. One such community member however, San Fransisco’s 21st Amendment Brewing, took the beer-on-Twitter phenomenon to new heights. Just yesterday 21st Amendment brewer Shaun O’Sullivan brewed the very first #twitterbrew. The beer, …

Remember last August when Jessica Simpson started pimping out beer? Yeah, me either. But one Michigan brewery is hoping that celebs, regardless of level of celeb-dom, will still drive sales. Enter the Michigan Brewing Co. and none other than Kid Rock. The difference, though, between the Kid Rock deal and the Jessica Simpson deal is, however, it sounds like Rock’s …

Looks like Ames, Iowa-based Olde Main Brewing Co. is having a bit of a spell of writer’s block and is looking to beer lovers for help. Help in the form of naming its nameless stout, that is. In return, the author of the winning name will get free Olde Main beer for a year, plus a party and brewery tour …

New Belgium Brewing Co. — the third largest craft brewer in the country — has officially released their 2007-2008 “Sustainability Report” outlining the results of New Belgium’s “Triple Bottom Line” approach to business using metrics and data gathered over a five-year period. The “Triple Bottom Line” measurement looks at the environmental, economic and social effects of the brewery. The report …

While we don’t all have the accent, the Non Sequitur folks were pretty spot-on with the artifacts that represent the greatest accomplishments of human existence: beer & duct tape. But what makes this particular comic strip even more fun is its reference to local favorite Shipyard Ale. Since Non Sequitur is a nationally syndicated strip, any reference to craft beer …

Portland, Maine-based Gritty McDuff’s is releasing a new IPA (“Gritty’s 21 IPA”) in celebration of the start of their 21st year of brewing. While the beer is already available in a few supermarkets in the area (and beyond), the real celebration will kick off at the Gritty’s Portland brewpub on December 21st when the brewery taps the first official kegs …

You know craft beer has gone big time when there is a feature-length exposé about it in The New Yorker. Well, that just happened. And what better way to ring Better Beer into the world of what’s what than a talk with Dogfish Founder Sam Calagione. The Article — entitled A Better Brew: The rise of extreme beer by Burkhard …

The Men’s Fitness Magazine website posted an article today entitled Pub Crawl: America’s 5 best beer bars for beer lovers. While the list — which was comprised of Freakin’ Frog in Las Vegas, The Map Room in Chicago, Kennedy School’s Courtyard Restaurant in Portland, Ore., Spuyten Duyvil in Brooklyn, N.Y. and The Brickskeller in Washington, D.C. — was made up …

Sorry it’s been a slow bloggin’ week but it’s been a busy real-life week. I hope a happy Halloween was had by all, though! Just wanted to give a few heads ups and a few reminders. First, The Peak Organic Espresso Amber Ale has hit store shelves nationwide. I picked up a 4-pack for about $7 at my local Whole …

I was lucky enough to be able to pay a visit to the Thomas Hooker Brewery in Bloomfield Connecticut this past week and it was definitely a trip well worth the while. One I can recommend to anyone who finds themselves in the greater-Hartford area. Outside the brewery Thomas Hooker — which began in 1997 as the brewing arm of …

In a very rare deviation from all things decent-but-safe-ho-hum-ales, Shipyard Brewing Co. has announced an addition to their lineup of otherwise traditional English-style ales, a Barleywine-style brew. The Shipyard Barelywine will be the first brew in the new Pugsley’s Select (named after Shipyard co-founder and brewmaster, Alan Pugsley) series. The beers in the series will be released in 22-ounce bomber …

Portland Maine’s own Peak Organic Brewing announced today that they’ve released their new fall seasonal brew: Espresso Amber Ale. The Espresso Amber Ale is brewed with Maine-roasted, organic fair trade espresso in collaboration with Coffee By Design. The beer is in partnership with Transfair, a non-profit that works to ensure that farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods …

Last week during a visit to Burlington, Vermont we were lucky enough to get a tour of the Magic Hat brewery (which I later learned isn’t really done right now due to the on-going construction). Our tour guide Chris showed us around, let us taste lots of great beer from Magic Hat and their organic off-shoot Orlio; we learned all …

There was an article in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution entitled Is Beer Becoming the New Wine? The article didn’t say much and was mostly just a press release for an upcoming beer dinner at a place called Twain’s in Decatur. Although the article did preface the information about the beer dinner by saying, The nose is just a little bit forward, …

I know that many people have been coming here over the last few weeks looking for information on the Run of the Mill brewpub in Saco, Maine which opened just a few weeks ago. And if anyone has been there yet then I’m sure you know that, despite being a brewpub, ROTM has yet to have any of their own …

You may remember way back in November of ’07 when a study was released which claimed that natives of Central America were drinking alcoholic beverages — or beer — made from cacao (the seeds which chocolate comes from) even before 1000 BC, 500 years earlier than previously thought. Well now it looks like label-pushing brewer Dogfish Head is going to …

It’s been a crazy couple of days – I just got back from three days at Affilite Summit East at the Seaport Hotel in wonderful Boston, Massachusetts. It was an exhausting, whirlwind trip but I met a lot of good people and learned a lot of great things. I’ll definitely be returning for Affiliate Summit 2009! But, with everything going …

Very big & exciting news for fans of Portsmouth’s own Smuttynose Brewing Co.: A new brewery has been a discussion for Smuttynose for quite awhile (I first wrote about it back in December of ’07) as they’ve long since outgrown their relatively small Establishment on the outskirts of Portsmouth. Well, according to SeacoastOnline.com, the brewery and its owner, Peter Egelston, …

Each year since 2005, Sam Adams — you know, the largest American-owned & operated brewery in the world — has created a beer called the “Beer Lover’s Choice” to be included in their “Brewmasters’ Collection” 12 packs. In 2005 it was their Brown Ale, in 2006 the Honey Porter, and in 2007 the Irish Red. So what will 2008’s Beer …

I received word today that one of Maine’s most iconic beer brands will be closing their doors on August 1st. Stone Coast Brewing Co. — which first opened its doors here in Portland in 1995 — sited money (mainly taxes) problems as the reason for the closure. Although their beers were never some of my favorites, it is still sad …

Some big news coming across the wire today in the world of beer. One of America’s biggest “craft brewers” Redhook Brewery announced the launch of a new limited release program to begin in the Fall of 2008, and what better way to kick it off than the return of one of the beers that really put Redhook on the “better …

I wanted to point everyone in the direction of a great, informative article which appeared on MSN Money recently (thanks to Gavin for the tip!) entitled “Will Microbrews Kill the King of Beers?”. The article includes a video and talk with Robin Ottaway, the sales manager and co-owner of the Brooklyn Brewery, details on the possible take-over of Anheuser-Busch by …

We all know that the prices of everything — from gasoline, to groceries, to the grains & hops needed to make beer — are on the daily rise; nothing unique there. With the price of beer rising for the breweries, so it rises for the distributors and so on down the line to the bars and eventually you and I. …

What do you do when you own all of the strip clubs, gyms, and most of the buildings in downtown Tampa Bay Florida? Run for local government? No, after that… open a brewery, of course! And that’s just what Tampa King Pin Joe Redner, along with his son Joey, plans to do. The pair would like to open Cigar City …

Back in December, The Portsmouth Brewery’s Kate the Great Russian Imperial Stout was named Best Beer in America (and Second Best on Planet Earth) by Beer Advocate Magazine. Since then, you couldn’t have found a bottle of the stuff anywhere for less than $100 (the going rate on eBay). To try and combat the craziness (or maybe make it worse), …

Head’s up Mainers! We received official word from Eric (Novare Res publican) today that Novare Res Bier Cafe will pour its first beers this Wednesday, May 21st, at 4 o’clock EST. Followed by a grand opening celebration Friday the 23rd. So clear your calendars, cancel your meetings, reschedule your dates, call out sick, and get your (good) beer drinking shoes …

This coming week (May 12-18th) is American Craft Beer Week. Changed to a week-long event in 2006 (the inaugural American Craft Beer Week was recognized by the U.S. Congress with House Resolution 753), American Craft Beer Week has continued to grow by leaps & bounds. This year, however, the celebrations will be slightly different – For the first time, breweries …

Vaune Dillmann, a craft brewer from Weed, California, thought that he had a great marketing gimmick when he labeled the bottle caps for his new Lemurian Lager after the name of his town. They read “Try Legal Weed”. But the Federal alcohol regulators didn’t get the humor: According to Beyondmadisonavenue.com, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Responded that …

By now the news has begun to permeate the Interwebs but in case you missed it – Burlington, Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Co. has declared its intent to buy Seattle’s Pyramid Breweries and merge the two companies. The closing of the proposed transaction is expected to occur not later than August 31, 2008. From the official press release, The board …

Vermont’s Long-Trail Brewing Co. made one heck of an Earth Day announcement – it appears they have signed a contract to become the largest commercial customer of Cow Power, a program from Central Vermont Public Service Corp. that produces electricity from cow manure. Long Trail’s Brian Walsh told the Burlington Free Press, “We actively seek ways to reduce the impact …

They’re portable – perfect for tailgating, camping, golf (ball, or Frisbee), the beach or the kid’s lunch box (I kid, I kid); they’re 100% recyclable; and they block sunlight and oxygen better than bottles. I’m talking about cans, of course. But canned beer carries a very negative stigma with it – when canning beer became a popular option in the …

The Maine Beer news reader is beginning to sound a bit like a broken record – the medals just keep on comin’ for the Shipyard Brewing Co. (and sister brewery Sea Dog). Each brewery took home a medal at the 2008 Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) in Melbourne, Australia this past weekend. To put it in a bit more context …

Way back in December I wrote about the frustration The Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens Georgia was facing as they waited for a state brewers’ license and the solidarity ’stache movement they started in protest of their wait. Well, almost a full year after they purchased a 45,000-square-foot brewery in Athens, the owners of Terrapin Beer can finally shave off …

There were some rumblings (here at BAB) and grumblings (elsewhere) a couple of weeks back about a new brewpub rumored to be opening in Saco, Maine. Well after today – thems ain’t rumors anymore, thanks to the Kennebec Journal. The paper reports that Geoff Houghton, the owner of the Liberal Cup in Hallowell, ME, will have his second brewery open …

The Brewers Association has released their 2008 Beer Style Guidelines. Eleven categories were added to the guidelines this year and of the 11 new categories being introduced, five new additions were added just for barrel-aged beers. If my counting isn’t off — which, at this hour on a Sunday evening it very well might be — there are 140 different …

The Forbes Magazine Traveler Website has just released a list of ten of the Best Beer Bars in America and guess who made the list – none other than local favorite, The Great Lost Bear. According to Forbes Traveler, These bars have one thing in common: a ‘challenging’ beer list that goes beyond Stella Artois and Blue Moon… A great …

Some of you may remember a few months ago (November, 2007 to be exact) when the story of the The Trappist monks at St. Sixtus monastery and their famous Westvleteren beer vaulted to everyday stardom, thanks to this story in the Wall Street Journal. Well, apparently their mystique has caught the attention of another high profile star – Harry Potter. …

Information Resources, a Chicago company that tracks the sale of beer, has announced that sales of craft beer in America rose 16.7% (from $493 million in 2006 to $575 million in 2007) in 2007, marking the second straight year of double-digit increases. So, what regions saw the greatest increases? The Great Lakes Region — which includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and …

For those of us in the North East, Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewery is a familiar face. Their many mixed twelve-packs line grocery and package store shelves and their Number 9 is on tap at even the smallest of bars. But, craft beer fans in the South and Midwest are about to be able to enjoy a lot more Magic Hat …

There had been rumors circulating of a new brewpub coming to Brick Island in Saco, Maine for some time. First it was scheduled to open by January, then February then maybe not at all. But, according to Russ from Beer, Maine & Me, I was very happy to read that Geoff Houghton, owner of the Liberal Cup in Hallowell, will …

Jim Koch, founder of the Boston Beer Co. — makers of Samuel Adams — announced yesterday that he had a VERY BIG Valentines Day present for small breweries around the country. He told the members of the Brewers Association that Boston Beer will sell 20,000 pounds of hops that otherwise — due to rationing and market share as a result …

Scottish brewer Steve Stewart visited the Harpoon Brewery in Boston Massachusetts yesterday to celebrate (and bottle) the completion of a beer he helped brew from more than 3,000 miles away. That beer is the 22nd installment of Harpoon’s famous 100 Barrel Series and is graciously named “Steve Stewart’s Firth of Forth Ale”. According to BostonNOW.com, The story of Harpoon’s Steve …

Anyone who is familiar with the Allagash Brewing Co. here in Portland, Maine knows their quirky (or extreme, or adventurous, or whatever you’d like to call it) tendencies and quirkier brews. Well, now they’re taking that experimental habit one step further – last month Allagash brewed a 100% spontaneously fermented beer in the tradition of the Belgian Lambics. According to …

Some big news was forwarded to me today from the folks at Shipyard Brewing Co. First, their Royal IPA (shipyard “Brewer’s Choice” spring seasonal for ’08) received a 5 check-mark review (the highest honors) from Modern Brewery Age. The review reads: Amid a rising tide of West Coast-inflected American IPAs, Shipyard’s Alan Pugsley hews to the British Ale-brewing tradition. This …

Nipping at the heels of the announcement for the topic for the March Session, the news surfaced today that The Lucky Lab Brew Pub in the other Portland (anyone who doubts that Portland, OR is the other Portland – remember that it was named after Portland, Maine!) is now brewing solar beer. The brewpub has installed a solar panel thermal …

The media has been flooded in the past 3 months or so with stories about the world-wide hops shortage – if you don’t know about it by now, you’ve been living under a rock; beer drinker or not – so I don’t want to beat a dead horse but I think this afternoon was the first time it’s really hit …